I have noticed a lot lately that many, many blogs are going private. In the beginning I had thought of being private. The thing is I really enjoy the outlet of "conversing" with other women online. After having my blog for about two months I realized sharing ALL of our information was not safe for my kids. You will never see anything on here that gives away my last name or where my exact location is. Lately I have been wondering if that is enough. My kids pictures are on here and so are their names and our names. Sometimes I wonder if I am being careless.
My husband says that I am over thinking things because this blog is of no importance to anyone but me and my few readers. The problem is there are disturbed people out there who search for open opportunities such as a blogs.So my question is should I go private or stay public? And if I stay public should I take my kids names off? I used to blog about a lot things other than my family stuff, but I have kinda done away with the other things so I know that this blog is not as interesting as it used to be. So no one may really care if I block it up. I am just interested in your opinions on the matter.
Oh and if I do decide to go private you all will be invited.
14 comments:
I've had similar thoughts lately. And no answers really.
I know people that do pseudonym blogging: Give their children each some cutesy name, and often themselves as well. I'd have a heck of a lot of archives to go through if I did that, though! Also, these same people NEVER NEVER show pictures of their faces or their children's faces. So that would bug me since one of my favorite parts of blogging is sharing photography.
So...for now I'll stay public. And I share a lot more info than you do I think...but I'm not too worried.
I've thought the same thing. I've only used the boys' first initials and I don't say our exact city or anything.
The one thing that concerns me is that in my sitemeter there are a lot of hits from out of the country and from people I don't know. So, I often wonder who, out there, knows about us, but I don't know about them?
Obviously, I don't have a definitive answer for you! I'm not ready to go private, but I have considered it.
I am the same way--I go back and forth about this as well...lately I have been wondering if I should go private. I don't have an answer unfortunately! Just make sure to include me :)
Funny how many of your readers have been thinking about that too. Ultimately, obviously it's your decision. You know we all want to be included. (c:
Well. . . it's a really really hard decision! Obviously you know that I went private, but it wasn't an easy decision at all. I still wanna be out in the public world and meet new people and have them feel like they can come visit my blog without having to have a special invitation. However, I feel more at ease and am so much more comfortable blogging (not much posted lately as I'm on vacation), but it's truly an individual decision. This is probably not what you wanted to hear as you already know it's your decision. My thoughts are if you are comfortable and don't keep second guessing if you should go private, they by all means, stay public. There is NOTHING wrong with that. If you do, however, keep feeling like you need/should go private, just know it's really hard to do, but at least you don't keep questioning whether or not you should. I hope I'm making sense. I wish the world wasn't the way it is and we didn't even have to question at all these things of going private or staying public. It's frustrating and sad. Good luck and if you do decide to go private, I'd LOVE to be invited. Sorry for the novel. . . I'm half asleep and have crying babies. If I didn't make sense, sorry. I'm too lazy to go back and re-read this ;)
Good question. I wonder, too, about those of predatory nature. Pray about it. The Lord knows what's best, as you know. It would be a lot of work to have two blogs, one private and the other public, but I'm thinking like you--when you do provide a lot of information to who knows whom--you never know. The fact that you're bothered may be a clue from the Spirit. You'll know what to do if you make it a matter of earnest prayer. Blessings to you and your precious family. I do enjoy keeping in touch this way. You're in my prayers!
Love, Aunt V
i love having mine public and visiting other public blogs. I've found so many old friends from my freshman year of college because of scrolling through people's friends. Kind of a scary thing too, I guess.
I don't worry too much about it--maybe I should. I see on my site-meter that most of the people who visit that I don't know come only once or twice--so I don't worry too much about them.
I never use our last name.
I've been thinking the very same thing!
Ashley, I have been debating that same thing for more than a year now. It is hard. I don't use our last names or city either, but given the things we do, that I blog about, it is quite obvious what city we live in. My husband says the same thing as yours, then I show him the stats for my blog and how many people are reading it that I have no idea who they are. I did take my blog off search engines because I could see in my stats that I was getting some searches that I didn't want to get, that helped me feel better. But I still go back and forth all the time.
I think it truly is a personal choice. I think for what ever reasons, when you think about them, you'll feel peace with what ever decision you make.
Hey there Ashley!
If you decide to go private, take me with you! I enjoy your blog so much and keeping up with your family (your Momma doesn't send pics like she used to!). So please, if you go private, don't forget those (like me) far away!
Miss ya and love ya,
Patty
its a hard thing to decide but if you did peopel like me couldn't read your blog and get to know other moms out there....the one thing you can do to prevent other people really finding you is to take of the thingy that allows your blog to be posted when someone googles something...if that makes sense...
anyway I read you are staying public
I think it's easier for all my friends that I have stayed public. We have taken the same precautions as you have with our last name and town, so I have not been worried. I think that blogging has become so common that targeting a blogger would be as easy as targeting anyone on the street. So I haven't worried much about it.
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